LOHENGRIN
Richard Wagner1813 - 1883
Romantic opera in three acts
Libretto by the composer
First performed on August 28th 1850, Hoftheater, Weimar

Sung in German with surtitles
Duration: c. 4 1/2 hrs. incl. two intervals

The question of who will now rule in Brabant is uncertain after the mysterious disappearance of Crown Prince Gottfried. Telramund accuses his ward Elsa of getting rid of her brother for politic reasons. A hero, Lohengrin, appears. He promises to be a »protector of Brabant« in the battle against Hungary. Before their marriage Elsa has promised him never to ask what his name is nor from whence he came. Otrud and Telramund unsettle her and persuade her to break this oath. He must now leave her, forever. Then, a miracle takes place... In Jens-Daniel Herzog’s production the hero is a figure in a dream, one who is to save Elsa as well as Brabant. He sets the story in a place where, today, longings and existential fears still collide.
Wagner’s score, written in the mid 19th century, a time of great revolutionary change, marked a turning point in his career, making real for the first time his concept of through-composed opera.